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Adding Music to an Instagram Story

Instagram is an interactive platform where you can live stream, take pictures, apply filters, and even add music to a story. At first, Instagram’s wide array of features may seem like a lot. On a single Instagram story, you can create a layout, boomerang, or text post. Furthermore, you can share multiple photos at once, create selfie slide shows, and record videos hands-free. Instagram is more than a simple photo and video sharing app.

Instagram can elevate your social media presence. A great way to accomplish this is to add music to your Instagram story. There are several ways to add a song to your Instagram story. This article will explain how to add music to an Instagram story so you can keep your audience engaged.

 

Instagram Stories and How to Use Them

An Instagram story is a post that is viewable for up to 24 hours. You can decide to save a post in a highlight or send it to specific people in your following list. To make an Instagram story, navigate to the home screen or press the house icon at the bottom left corner of your screen. Next, click on your icon in the upper left-hand corner to enter Instagram Story mode.

Then, you’ll be able to choose from different format options. To view all the options, click on the white drop-down arrow on the left side of the screen. If you have a photo or video from your camera roll you’ll like to use, click on the white rounded square at the lower left-hand corner of the screen. This will allow you to access your camera roll.

 

Finding the Right Music

Once you have taken or uploaded a photo or video to your Instagram account, click on the Instagram sticker icon. This icon should be toward the upper right-hand side of the screen. It’s a rounded box with a smiley face. This will give you more options to choose from.

You can add a location tag, mention another user, post a donation link, create a poll, ask questions, set a countdown, design a quiz, paste stickers, and add music to your story. Click on the music icon on the upper right side of the screen. Now you’ll be given three options: For You, Browse, and Search. For quick access, you can select the music note icon to the left of the smiley face sticker icon.

music

Options

The For You option will recommend popular songs. If you want to find a song that’s currently trending, this will be a great option to find music. The Browse option will allow you to look through Instagram’s playlists. The Browse function categorizes music by genre. To view more playlists, you have to scroll through the different options. To demonstrate, let’s say we are looking for a pop song. We will scroll through the various playlists until we reach the Pop folder.

Next, we select “See More” on the upper right side of the screen. Now, we have a bigger selection of songs to choose from. Finally, with the search function, you can look through Instagram’s music collection. You can search for music either by song name or artist name.

The search function will list songs or artists by best match. If you’re unsure about a song, you can preview a song before selecting it. Click on the play button or the right-facing triangle next to the song. A brief preview will play. If this is the right song, just click on the song title to select it.

Editing The Song

Now that you found the right song, you can choose what part of the song plays during your story. You can’t use full length recorded tracks. The song duration ranges from 5 to 15 seconds. To change this, click on the white circle left to the pause and play button.

Next, to scan through the song, drag the white rectangle at the bottom of the screen left and right. If you already have a portion of the song you’ll like to use in mind, there’s a song timer. It appears above the slider whenever you use it. If you’re looking for a specific verse, you can preview the lyrics by scrolling up and down.

Other Additions

Finally, after you selected a song and edited it to your liking, you can add lyrics or album artwork to your story. Above the slider, you can pick through different fonts and animation components to your video. Currently, there are four lyrics options and two album artwork options.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to skip this step. Click “done” at the top right-hand corner to confirm your edits. Thereafter, you can move and size the lyrics animation or album artwork to your liking. To add the completed post to your story, select “Your Story” at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen or “Send To” on the right.

music for products

Troubleshooting Music Issues

Sometimes you might encounter problems when trying to add music to your Instagram story. Here are common issues and solutions:
 
If the music sticker is missing entirely, this could be due to several factors. First, check if you’re in a supported region – Instagram music isn’t available worldwide. Business accounts sometimes have limited music access, so consider switching to a personal account temporarily. Make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version, as older versions may not support all music features.
 
If songs aren’t loading or the music library appears empty, try closing and reopening the app, checking your internet connection, or clearing the app’s cache. Some users find that logging out and back in resolves loading issues.
 
Your account type can affect music availability. Brand new accounts or accounts that have been flagged for copyright violations may have restricted access to music features. Additionally, if you’re using Instagram for business purposes with a business account, some music options may be limited due to commercial use restrictions.

Adding Music to Multiple Photos in Your Story

If you want to create a story with multiple photos or videos, you can still add music that plays across all slides. To do this, first select all the photos you want to include by holding down on multiple images in your camera roll. Instagram will create a carousel-style story.
 
Once you’ve selected your photos, tap the music sticker icon and choose your song as described above. The music will play continuously across all your story slides. Keep in mind that the duration of your music clip will affect how long each slide displays – if you choose a 15-second clip and have 3 photos, each photo will show for about 5 seconds.
 
For the best effect, try to time your music selection with the mood and pace of your photos. Upbeat songs work well with faster transitions, while slower songs complement more contemplative image sequences.

Music Promotion Using Instagram

If you’re an independent artist, you might not be able to get your music profile onto Instagram just yet. However, you may want to alert your followers that you have new music. Thankfully, you can still link a song or project to your Instagram stories. Be that as it may, you can’t embed a song in an Instagram story post yet. Music promotion is not a primary purpose of video posting on Instagram.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is a popular online distribution platform. You can upload and stream different forms of audio like podcasts and music. To link a song, open the Soundcloud application. Once you found a song you’ll like to use, click on the share button at the bottom of the screen. Next, you will be given several options to choose from. Select the “Share to Instagram Stories” option.

This imports the song to Instagram and makes it its own story. Finally, edit the post to your liking and post it to your story. Your followers won’t be able to hear the song, but they can click on the “Play on Soundcloud” option below your username. This will be at the top of the screen. Next, they will be directed to your Soundcloud account and will be able to listen to the song.

For independent artists wanting to add their own original music, you can upload your tracks to Soundcloud first, then share them to Instagram stories using this method. This is particularly useful for musicians who want to promote new releases or share behind-the-scenes audio content with their followers.

Spotify

Spotify is a popular online streaming service for music and podcasts. To link a song, find a song you’ll like to use. Click on the three dots at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll through the options until you find the “Share” option. Click on this and you’ll be prompted to share on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Messages, or just copy the link. Select the Instagram icon.

This will send you to Instagram and a story post will be automatically created. Edit the post to your liking then send it to your story. Your followers can listen to the song by selecting the “Play on Spotify” option below your username.

Adding Your Own Music and Custom Audio

While Instagram’s music library is extensive, you might want to use your own recordings or music that isn’t available on the platform. There are several workarounds for adding custom audio to your stories.
 
One method is to use third-party video editing apps like InShot, CapCut, or Adobe Premiere Rush to add your audio to a video before uploading to Instagram. Simply import your video and audio files, sync them together, export the final video, and then upload it to your Instagram story.
 
Another approach is to play your desired music on a separate device while recording your Instagram story. This method works well for live recordings or when you want to capture ambient sound along with your chosen music.
 
For original music creators, you can record voice-overs or original compositions directly within Instagram by holding down the record button without selecting any background music first. This gives you complete control over your audio content while still maintaining the visual elements of your story.
 
Keep in mind that when using your own audio, you won’t have access to Instagram’s lyrics display or music recognition features, but you’ll have complete creative control over your sound.

instagram music

Why You Should Use Music

Whether you use Instagram for personal or business reasons, including music in your Instagram stories is a great way to improve your engagement. Adding a song to a story can elevate whatever message you’ll like to convey. Also, it’s a good advertising tool. For example, let’s say you want to wish a friend a happy birthday through an Instagram story. A story that has the happy birthday song playing can better get this message across.

From a business standpoint, music can help you appeal to a certain audience. To demonstrate, let’s say your target audience is teenage girls. You want to advertise your new lip gloss and appeal to Instagram users. If you post a story that has a song that’s familiar to them, they may have a better reaction to the product. If they like the song, maybe they’ll be more interested in your lip gloss.

Copyright

Music copyright gives the owner of the song rights to the piece of work. This means that copyright laws protect their creative property. Copyright protection includes stealing or uncredited use of a song. Understandably, if you wanted to use a song via Instagram music for a marketing campaign, you’ll have to worry about copyright. Under normal circumstances, if you post copyrighted music, this would be a valid concern.

The cost to license a song can vary from $100 to +$1000. For small businesses, this is an impractical expense. To enumerate, copyright infringement can result in flagged or removed media and fines upwards of $30,000. The magic rule that 30 seconds or 10% of a song may be used under fair use doesn’t always work royalty free. That being said, you can get around copyright on Instagram if you follow their rules.

Instagram Copyright Rules

Instagram still has limitations they have to abide by because of copyright. On Instagram, copyrighted music is allowed in live videos and stories. However, Instagram recommends that you use short clips. Lastly, there should always be a visual component. You can’t solely benefit from licensed music that you don’t own.

In other words, you can use licensed music in an Instagram story. For small business owners, this allows you to have more music options to choose from when promoting a product or service. Instagram can sometimes detect copyrighted music and remove your posts or stories even if you do everything correctly, but it is still a cost-effective option you can use.

Why Songs May Not Be Available

Not every song you might want to use will be available in Instagram’s music library. Several factors determine what music is accessible:
 
Licensing restrictions vary by geographic region. A song available to users in the United States might not be accessible to users in other countries due to different licensing agreements between Instagram and music labels.
 
Some artists or record labels choose to opt out of social media licensing agreements entirely. This means their music won’t appear in Instagram’s library regardless of the song’s popularity or your location.
 
Temporary licensing issues can also affect availability. Songs might disappear from the library if licensing agreements expire or if there are disputes between platforms and rights holders.
 
Your account type also influences what music you can access. Business accounts often have more restrictions than personal accounts due to commercial use policies. If you’re using Instagram for business purposes, consider the difference in available music when planning your content strategy.
 
Additionally, very new releases might not immediately appear in Instagram’s library, as it can take time for new licensing agreements to be processed and songs to be added to the platform’s database.

music on instagram

Instagram Music Isn’t Perfect

Adding a song in an Instagram Story post is fast and efficient. On Instagram, copyrighted music can be used. As long as you change up your content and use short clips, you shouldn’t run into any copyright issues with video and recorded audio. Instagram also has a sound collection called “Facebook’s Sound Collection.” This gives you an even larger library to pull from for Instagram videos. However, because the sound or the music is available to you doesn’t mean it’s available to everyone.

Instagram music isn’t like Spotify or Apple Music. You won’t be able to access every song in existence., but this feature is still a powerful communication tool that should be used in your personal and professional life.

Alternative Methods for Custom Audio

When Instagram’s built-in music options don’t meet your needs, several alternative methods can help you achieve your desired audio experience.
 
Video editing before upload is one of the most reliable methods. Apps like InShot, CapCut, Splice, or even more advanced tools like Adobe Premiere Pro allow you to combine your visual content with any audio file. Export your edited video and upload it directly to your Instagram story – the audio will play as part of the video file.
 
Screen recording with audio is another workaround. Play your desired music on your device while screen recording your photo or video content. This captures both the visual and audio elements together, though the quality may be slightly reduced.
 
For live audio recording, you can record your Instagram story while playing music from another device or source. This works particularly well for ambient sounds, live performances, or when you want to capture authentic audio environments.
 
Third-party apps specifically designed for social media content creation often have more flexible audio options. Apps like Canva, Unfold, or Storyo allow you to create stories with custom audio before exporting to Instagram.
 
When using these methods, remember that you won’t have access to Instagram’s music stickers, lyrics display, or song recognition features. However, you’ll have complete creative control over your audio content. Always ensure you have the right to use any copyrighted music in your content, especially for business or promotional purposes.

Do you want to learn more about Instagram and how it can benefit your digital marketing plan? SEO Design Chicago can help you with your SEO, digital marketing, and website design needs. Visit us at seodesignchicago.com and schedule a consultation with us today.

FAQs

  • How do you use Instagram music?
  • What is an Instagram story?
  • How do you put music on your Instagram that’s not on Instagram?
  • Is Instagram music copyrighted?
  • Why should I use music on Instagram?
  • How do you use Instagram music?
  • How do I add music to an Instagram story?
  • What is an Instagram story?
  • How do I add a song in an Instagram story that is not available?
  • How do you add music to Instagram story with multiple photos?
  • Why can’t I add music to my Instagram story anymore?
  • Why are some songs not available on Instagram?
  • How do I add music to a photo?
  • How do I put a song that isn’t on Instagram?
  • Can I add my own music to an Instagram post?
  • How do I import audio to Instagram?
Nick Antonopoulos

Nick Antonopoulos is the Chief Marketing officer of SEO Design Chicago. Nick has over a decade of experience in Content Creation, SEO and Digital Marketing working with small businesses all the way up to Enterprise level clients.

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